the entrepreneur life / hustle, self-care and the myth of balance

There’s a very interesting dynamic happening right now in the entrepreneurial world, caused by the opposing forces of hustle and self-care. Depending on who you read, listen to, follow, you’ll see these two concepts tossed around constantly.

Some entrepreneurs are all about the hustle and give very little time to rest.

Others will preach about balance, routine, meditation, and saying no. Me? I’ve got my feet in both pools. You should know: I’m a Gemini.

Regardless of your astrological sign, the only way to get things done as an solopreneur / blogger / small business owner is to work hard, over-commit yourself, make lists, cross things off, go to bed a little later, get up a little earlier — in short, hustle. As someone with a fairly demanding 9-5 job and a side business that I’m growing into what will (hopefully) one day be full-time gig, I have to live the hustle. I get up early to fulfill florapothecarie orders, I go to work at my 9-5, I get home and answer emails from customers or wholesale buyers, then I eat dinner with my wonderful boyfriend who cooks most of the meals so that I can focus on florapothecarie. After dinner, I schedule social media posts, or write articles for other blogs (like this one), or create emails, or make products.

But I only have so much steam, and it eventually runs out. Then begins the self-care cycle. I’ll go two whole days without reading or responding to emails, checking social media, or fulfilling orders. I’ll take nice long soaks in the bathtub with my bathing salts, I’ll binge on Netflix with my boyfriend and eat too much popcorn and chocolate. (Who am I kidding? There’s no such thing as too much popcorn and chocolate!)

And then my hustle side kicks back in again. I know what you’re thinking: why not incorporate self-care into your daily routine so you’re not doing too much hustle or too much self-care? Why not create balance?

Honestly?

I DON'T THINK BALANCE EXISTS.

I think if we keep chasing this mythical balance, we’ll drive ourselves crazy with the pressure to appear perfect and to have it all figured out and feel totally calm and at peace. This just isn’t the reality for many entrepreneurs. Some days, we’re working our asses off, and then once that’s done, we reward ourselves by chilling the eff out.

I’m telling you all of this because I think you’re probably like me, and you’re freaking out trying to figure out how to balance all of the work you need to do as the sole person running your business while also trying to find time to be calm, be present, and be with the people you love. I know, I’m figuring it out too. As I said on the Being Boss podcast recently, there will always be one thing that rises to the top. Sometimes it’s your side hustle, sometimes it’s your full-time job, sometimes it’s your partner or your kids if you have them, sometimes it’s your friends, and sometimes it’s yourself. Just make sure to switch up those things so your loved ones and your business aren’t being totally neglected.

AND WHEN YOU'RE FOCUSING ON ONE THING, REALLY GIVE IT YOUR ATTENTION.

Be present.

Try not to think about business when you’re having dinner with your family. And don’t feel bad about letting your partner know that you need a few hours to take care of business stuff. If they love you and support you, they’ll understand. Besides, the next day, you’re going to focus on them. Right? Right.

When you’re ready to focus on you, I recommend taking a nice long soak in the bathtub with one of florapothacarie's bathing salts, and following up with one the brand-new body oils. All of the products are 100% natural, vegan, and handmade by me with so much love because you deserve it after all that hustle.

headshot by mojalvo.com

Sami Jo Jensen is the founder + natural skincare maker behind florapothecarie, a line of 100% natural + vegan handmade beauty products. Sami has been studying herbalism and creating her own cosmetic concoctions since the age of 11. She’s on a mission to help women embrace their natural beauty, educate them on the toxins in cosmetics, and help them find natural alternatives.